Presiding Justice Conrad L. Rushing

Presiding Justice Conrad L. Rushing, was appointed in 2002 to a newly created seat on the California Sixth District Court of Appeal by California Governor Gray Davis. He was elevated to Presiding Justice on January 21, 2003. Prior to his appointment Justice Rushing served as a Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara County, California from 1978 to 2002. One of the most respected judges in the county, he has served as Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, as Presiding Judge of the Civil Division, as presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, and as Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division. Justice Rushing recently served as the designated Complex Civil Litigation Judge for the county, a part of Governor Davis's Complex Litigation Pilot Project. He also served as a Justice Pro Tempore at the First District Court of Appeal for two months in 1984 and two months in 1987.

Justice Rushing has handled some of the most challenging cases in Santa Clara County. One of these cases involved the prosecution of Avant! Corporation and a number of its executives for conspiracy to steal trade secrets, securities fraud and related crimes. With Justice Rushing's assistance in settlement negotiations, the district attorney entered into a plea agreement with the defendants, leaving the issue of restitution for the court to determine. After a three-week hearing, Judge Rushing ordered payment of $195 million in restitution and imposed fines totaling $38 million.

Justice Rushing has taught seminars in law and literature at the University of Santa Clara Law School and has been a guest lecturer at the Stanford and Boalt Hall Schools of Law. He served as President of the Santa Clara County Bar Association in 1974 and as Chair of the City of San Jose Charter Review Commission in 1977. Justice Rushing has chaired several task forces of the California Judicial Council. He received the Judge of the Year award from the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers in 1994 and 1999 and the Bernard S. Jefferson award from the California Judges Association in 1994.

Before his appointment to the bench, Justice Rushing engaged in a corporate finance, merger and acquisition practice with the firms of Rushing, Ames & Norman from 1974 to 1978, and Berliner, Cohen, Flaherty & Rushing from 1971 to 1974. He also handled civil litigation, particularly the defense of construction industry cases.

Justice Rushing earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose State University, and an LLB degree from the Boalt University School of Law.